Military Writers Society of America convenes in Ohio September 27-29 for the annual conference and awards Banquet. An association of more than a thousand authors, poets, and artists come together by the common bond of love for the men and women who defend our nation, and a deep and personal understanding for their sacrifice and dedication. Their stories weave the fabric of our nation’s history. Leila Levinson, author of Gated Grief: The Daughter of a GI Concentration Camp Liberator Discovers a Legacy of Trauma, will offer several workshops on writing to heal. Veterans, First Responders, and other professionals who serve those suffering from trauma learn how to help others use writing as a healing modality. Swenson Book Development, LLC has been invited to present two panels on “Getting Your Book Published,” and “Marketing Today,” and participate in another panel on book publicity and promotions. One-on-one pitch sessions are also available. Danielle Sherwood is flying in from Seattle and Jill is driving from Ithaca to join Cathryn Prince from Connecticut. Cathryn Prince will read from her forthcoming Death in the Baltic: The WWII Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, discuss her research methods, and answer questions from the audience. On January 29, 1945, nearly 10,000 German refugees and wounded soldiers attempted to flee across the Baltic Sea aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a cruise liner turned escape ship. Three Russian torpedoes struck the boat, causing catastrophic damange. It sank and 9,000 people perished. Nazi and Soviet censorhship condemned the story to obscurity. Based…
Labor Day starts a new season for most people. This is true in publishing, too. Fall releases of new books ramp up until the holiday season. Acquisition editors begin in earnest this time of year to put together their next catalog and plan for the one after that. Writers like to turn over a new leaf and recommit to their writing goals for the long… [Read More]
Judith Rossner’s 70s novel, August, is about a psychoanalyst and the young adult client she sees during the month when all therapists take vacation. Someone needs to write the novel about an agent and the young adult novelist who pitches in August and hears crickets. Is everyone on vacation in August? Yup. August is about beach books and cabin reads. Swinging in a hammock with a… [Read More]
Six or seven years ago my advice to aspiring authors of nonfiction books was to build an audience platform by blogging. An example of how critical blogging could be to securing a publishing contract can be found in the case of Ann Marie Ackermann, author of Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee. After an… [Read More]
Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca is very excited to host local author Alice McDowell for an evening of readings and conversation about her newest book, Dance of Life: Christian, Sufi, and Zen Wisdom for Today’s Spiritual Seeker. Q&A to follow, led by Maureen O’Brien. Event date: Sunday, March 27, 2022 – 7:00pm to 8:00pm McDowell writes about the spiritual journey as a captivating dance. In a clear and… [Read More]
Author of Queen of the Mountaineers and American Daredevil, Cathryn J. Prince has signed a publishing contract for her next book, For the Love of Labor: The Pioneering Life of Pauline Newman, with University Press of Kentucky for a 2024 release. Before Greta Thunberg, Emma Gonzalez, or Malala Yousafzai, there was Pauline Newman. She had been union organizing since the age of 16 before the… [Read More]